


Love's Softest Touch

by iloveromance



Category: Frasier (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 09:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: A visit to the hospital to see newborn Alice and Roz brings hidden secrets and feelings out into the open. A continuation of "A Mother's Love"





	1. Chapter 1

Daphne's eyes fluttered open when she felt the soft lump against her back. She changed positions in her bed only to find the lump in a new location.

Well this was certainly strange. Curious, she reached behind her and removed the mysterious object, smiling at the memory it provoked. The soft plush yellow dog with the red ears and red nose seemed to be smiling back at her. It was strange that because of an impulsive purchase at the toy store, a plush toy would have such a profound effect on her life.

She'd always cared for Niles, even during times when they had their differences. It was only natural that they would argue occasionally. They were from two completely different worlds and if it weren't for his older brother hiring her, they might never have met. But now she couldn't imagine life without him. He was the sweetest, most thoughtful man she'd ever known and she would always cherish his friendship.

But now their friendship had grown and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She cared for him deeply and there was no denying that she enjoyed the kisses they shared. She never expected his lips to be so soft, or that his kisses would be so sweet.

Was it love?

She wasn't sure but she felt something, something stronger than friendship. Whatever it was, she didn't want to rush into anything. To do so might jeopardize their friendship and the thought of losing him pained her soul.

She gave the plush dog one last squeeze and climbed out of bed. Frasier and Martin would be up soon and they would want their breakfast. And Niles would be arriving a little later to accompany her to the hospital. The latter made her heart flutter.

It was silly feeling this way, like a schoolgirl with a ridiculous crush on a boy. Perhaps it was the fact that Roz was now a mother. And Daphne wanted so much to have the same experience. She could just picture herself, holding a little boy or girl in her arms, her son or daughter, giving the child more love than she thought possible.

She was still lost in her thoughts of motherhood when she entered the living room where Martin and Frasier were already waiting. Her appearance made both men look up in surprise.

"Wow, you look nice!" Martin exclaimed, his eyes moving up and down as he took in her outfit. "Kind of early for a date, isn't it?"

"I-I don't have a date." She stammered, the lie leaving her mouth. "I-I'm going to the hospital to see Roz and Alice."

Martin smiled and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, you do look nice Daphne, but don't you think that dress is a bit much?"

Daphne glanced down at the cornflower blue silk dress that lay in waves on her body. "What's wrong with me dress?"

"Nothing, Daphne. It's fine." Frasier said. "Dad's just-."

"Annoyed." Martin finished. "Where's my breakfast? I'm starving!"

Daphne sighed deeply as a surge of anger rushed through her. "I'll give you your breakfast Old Man, if you'll just wait a few bloody minutes! Besides, you could stand to wait longer than that!"

"Are you calling me fat?" Martin retorted.

"Now the both of you just calm down!" Frasier ordered. "What's this all about?"

"Beats the hell out of me." Martin grumbled. "I was just sitting here minding me own business and-."

On the verge of tears, Daphne quickly retreated into the kitchen and barely a moment had passed before she began to cry. Her tears fell rapidly, splashing into the soapy water as she washed the dishes. She had no idea why she was suddenly so emotional. Perhaps it was because she hadn't gotten enough sleep.

But her heart knew better. It had nothing to do with lack of sleep at all. She simply couldn't lie to herself any longer. She missed Niles.


	2. Chapter 2

She was on page three hundred and fifty two of her book when the doorbell rang and she quickly closed the cover, aware of the way her heart was beating rapidly. It was silly, reacting this way. It wasn't as though she and Niles were going on a date. The thought was completely-

But then she remembered his words.

"And then perhaps we could venture off on our own somewhere, like dinner?"  
It was hardly a date. They were just going to the hospital to see Roz and Alice, an outing that was completely unromantic in every sense of the word. But what would happen afterwards?

The doorbell rang, followed by a series of knocks, causing Daphne to gasp in surprise. Her hand trembled as she turned the knob and opened the door. She knew Niles was on the other side and he was bound to be furious with her. What was she thinking, forcing him to stay in the hallway?

"Dr. Crane I'm so sorry! I know you're angry, but I was... I…"

She wanted to explain but she couldn't tell him that she'd been deeply lost in thought and that her thoughts were of him. To do so would be completely-

He smiled then. "I was worried. I thought maybe you'd forgotten, or…"

"No." she said a little too quickly. "I-I mean… I've been looking forward to it since…"

He glanced at his feet but there was no mistaking the flush of his face. And Daphne couldn't hide her sudden nervousness. "H-how are you, Dr. Crane?"

Her formality surprised him. "Oh. Well, I'm…"

She glanced around the living room, making certain that Frasier and Martin were nowhere in sight. And then she turned to Niles. The sight of his handsome face made her breath catch in her throat and she impulsively drew him into a hug. "I missed you." She said relishing the feel of him in her arms. But he drew back in surprise.

"You did?"

His boyish smile made her melt and she softly kissed his lips. "You look very handsome, Dr. Crane."

"Th-thank you, Daphne. But please… call me Niles."

"All right… Niles."

She saw his eyes looking her up and down and she smoothed the invisible wrinkles from her dress. "Do I look all right? I suppose your father was right. I am a bit overdressed. After all, we're just going to the hospital and then…"

He moved closer and she shivered when his fingertips reached out and touched the fabric of her dress. And then as though in a daze, his eyes met hers.

"You're beautiful."

Daphne's cheeks began to burn and she quickly looked down at her feet before meeting his gaze again.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. I-I mean… Niles."

A comfortable silence fell between them as she found herself at a loss for words, a fact that she was sure Martin would agree was definitely a first. Suddenly she felt Niles' hand in hers and her breath caught in her throat.

"Is everything okay, Daphne?"

"Yes, I-."

He watched her in confusion. "Daphne?"

She could feel her heart thundering beneath her chest and it became difficult to breathe. Slowly she turned away, her eyes fixated on the hallway that led to her room. "I'll be right back."

Without hesitation, or as much as a glance in his direction, she made a beeline for her bedroom. When she'd arrived, she paused to sit on her bed in an effort to calm her trembling body. After a few minutes, her heart beat had slowed and she rose from the bed and carefully picked up the gift that she'd bought for Niles. But before she returned the plush yellow dog with the red ears and red nose to the bag from the toy store, she gave him one last squeeze.

"Daphne, is everything okay?" Niles asked when she returned to the living room.

"Yes, I just wanted to give you this." She handed him the bag and smiled. "I took good care of him for you."

He smiled and removed the stuffed dog from the bag. "Thank you, Daphne."

She opened her mouth to speak and found herself engulfed in his arms. And there was no better feeling in the world. Except, perhaps the sweet and unexpected kiss he placed on her lips. The kiss left her a bit dizzy and she drew back reluctantly.

"We should probably go now." She said quietly. "Roz and Alice are expecting us."

He smiled and opened the door for her and her heart beat faster. For a magical day was just beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

Neither of them said much on the drive to the hospital, but Daphne was almost certain that Niles could hear the steady beating of her heart. Her hand was at her side and she wanted so much to slip her fingers into his, but she didn't dare. This was all so new to her and she didn't want to rush it by appearing too foreword. And so she sat perfectly still, staring out the car window, watching as the world passed by.

"Okay, here we are." Niles announced, bringing her out of her dreamlike trance. It was then that she realized that they had arrived at the hospital. But instead of getting out of the car, she remained where she was. She was barely aware that he'd climbed out of the car and was standing outside, holding the door open for her. His hand brushed against her cheek and she turned to find him smiling at her.

"Niles…"

"Daphne, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I… Oh, bloody hell, I'm not sure what's wrong with me! I'm so nervous that I can hardly think straight and I don't understand it, Dr. Crane! You're me best friend and I shouldn't be feeling this way! But I'm not used to being more than friends with you-oh, not that I mind of course. It's wonderful, but I just don't' want to ruin this… whatever it is and-."

He silenced her with a soft kiss and then drew back slowly. "Just stop, okay? You haven't ruined anything, Daphne. You couldn't. Just being here with you… I can't tell you how happy that makes me."

She blinked, causing tears to run down her cheeks and in one fluid motion she climber out of the passenger seat, and stood, leaning her forehead against his. "I love you."

Her words seemed to surprise them both and she felt her cheeks flush. "Oh, Dr. Crane, I-."

He said nothing and drew her close. They held each other for a few moments until he drew back and smiled. "We should probably get inside. Roz is…"

"Oh, right, of course."

His arm around her, she leaned against him as they walked across the parking lot and into the hospital together.


	4. Chapter 4

Their fingers entwined, they stepped into the elevator and shared a few kisses before the doors opened on the maternity floor. The closer they came to Roz's room the more Daphne's nerves increased. With a trembling hand, she knocked softly on Roz's door and then pulled it open, gasping in embarrassment when she saw that Roz was in the middle of nursing her newborn daughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry Roz! I-."

But Roz shrugged off the seemingly awkward moment, as though nursing a baby was an everyday occurrence. And Daphne couldn't understand her own unease; for seeing Roz and her daughter was the most beautiful sight she'd ever witnessed. And embarrassing tears filled her eyes as she squeezed Niles' hand. "Niles, I didn't know she was… I'm sorry."

At her whispered words, Niles laughed. "It's all right, Daphne. It's not like I'm the first man in Seattle to see Roz Doyle half naked!"

Daphne gasped in horror and slapped Niles playfully on the arm. "Niles Crane that's a horrible thing to say!"

The laughter that followed was contagious and Daphne was grateful for the light-heartedness between her friend and the man she loved. But then a small cry could be heard and her smile disappeared.

"Oh Roz, I'm sorry! We've made Alice cry!"

Roz smiled. "It's fine, Daphne. Would you like to hold her?"

The question caught Daphne off-guard. "Oh, all right, but-."

"You'll be fine." Roz replied, answering Daphne's unasked question. "Here."

Daphne held out her hands, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of the beautiful baby. She'd seen Alice before of course, but now…

"Hi Sweetheart." She said quietly, her fingertips brushing lightly against Alice's soft cheek. "I'm Daphne and this is Niles. We love you very much and we love your mommy too."

The baby yawned and fell asleep in Daphne's arms and Daphne couldn't resist kissing her soft forehead before handing her back to Roz. "She's so beautiful, isn't she Niles?"

His hand was on her back and she sighed at his touch. "She certainly is, Roz. I'm sorry for what I said before. I was just kidding about-."

"Oh Niles, look!" Daphne shouted, crossing the room excitedly. She went to the window where a line of stuffed animals sat obediently in a row. She could feel Niles and Roz watching her as she moved toward the yellow dog with red ears and a red nose and she picked it up, clutching it to her chest. And then she turned to Niles and smiled. "This is just like the one that I bought for you! I-." She stopped short, horrified at what she'd said.

"Daphne, what's with you?"

She slowly turned to look at Roz who wore a perplexed expression. "Nothing. I…"

"The hell it's nothing. You're calling him Niles, and…what's this about you buying him a stuffed animal?"

At a loss for words, she looked away, grateful when Niles moved toward her and took her in his arms, lightly kissing her cheek. She turned to face him, wanting so desperately to kiss him, but she didn't dare. Instead she returned her attention to Roz and smiled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters you're in his arms, he just kissed you and you're acting like a couple of-Oh my God, I can't believe this!"

"What?"

"You two are in love! My God Niles, you finally told her after all this time! How long were you planning on keeping this a secret? Till Alice's high school graduation?"

Daphne's cheeks were burning and she couldn't bring herself to look at Roz or Niles. So she was eternally grateful when Niles broke the awkward silence. "Well, it was rather unexpected, so we haven't told anyone yet. We were waiting for the right moment."

As expected, Daphne could tell that Roz didn't believe a word of it, but Daphne was too embarrassed to explain. She'd already said way too much. Instead she walked over to Roz and kissed her forehead and then smiled at Roz's sleeping daughter. "Goodbye Sweetheart. Daphne loves you, and so does Niles."

"She means Aunt Daphne and Uncle Niles."

Daphne looked at Roz in disbelief. "What? Oh Roz, really?"

"Well yeah! I mean, who else-."

Overcome with emotion, Daphne hugged Roz tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, but I'm sure you'd rather be with someone else that you love, right?"

Daphne turned to find Niles standing beside her and then moved to give him room to hug Roz and Alice.

"Take care of each other."

Roz smiled at Niles and nodded to Daphne. "Same to you, Niles."

Although she was no longer nervous, Daphne's heart raced as they made their way out of the hospital and to the parking lot. She held onto Niles hand never daring to let go, nor did she want to let go. And when they reached his car, she simply couldn't stop smiling. In the most romantic gesture possible, Niles leaned to kiss her; a sweet, passionate kiss that she felt all through her body. Her arms slid around his neck and she pulled him closer, sighing at the feeling it gave her.

This man makes me happier than I ever dreamed possible.

"I'm glad, Sweetheart."

"What?"

"I'm glad, Daphne. Because all I've ever wanted was to make you happy. I'm happy too. Exceedingly happy. You have no idea."

"But how…"

"I'm sorry if I was eavesdropping. Perhaps your words weren't meant for my ears."

She looked down at her shoes, suddenly realizing that she'd spoken her thoughts out loud. But then she felt his fingertips on her chin, gently coaxing her to look at him. "Daphne, being happy is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. It's wonderful."

She smiled and hugged him. "You're right. I just… I can't believe this! I'm an aunt!"

"And I'm an uncle… again." Nile said, making her laugh at his proud tone.

"Niles, I'm sorry that I spilled our secret. I just saw that yellow and red stuffed dog and I couldn't help meself. No wonder she thought I was daft!"

"You're not daft at all. You're beautiful and I love you very much."

"I love you too... Uncle Niles."

They shared more kisses, laughing at their new names and when they drew back, Daphne squeezed his hand. "So, Uncle Niles… Shall we go to dinner?"

He kissed her softly, gently and more than once. "Aunt Daphne, that sounds like a perfect idea."

They walked to the car, their arms around each other, both of them thinking about the wonderful dinner they would share and about the sweet yellow stuffed dog with the red nose and red ears who brought them together.

THE END


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